SPIRITUAL/POLITICAL
“Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ” Matthew 22:21
“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”. According to the evangelist Matthew, Jesus spoke those words in response to a question from the Jews as to whether they have to pay taxes to Caesar Augustus. It was one of those hostile questions that were meant to entrap Jesus into coming out publicly against the Roman authority. Jesus wisely made it clear that his kingdom was not of this world and that while on this earth God’s people should make a distinction between what the state requires and what God wants. You don’t have to read any more of the bible to look for what Jesus felt about the issue of the “separation of church and state”
The religious communities that migrated to this country after its discovery left Europe to escape the religious tyranny of state mandated religions. They wanted to be free to worship as they wished without government interference. Our brilliant and brave founding fathers created a new kind of government that stressed “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Some of them were members of the various Protestant sects but most were Deists. These were men that did not necessarily believe in the divinity of Christ or in the existence of a Providential God. Some, like George Washington, were barely religious at all. But they all agreed on one thing—The First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
They all concurred to a man that the practice of religion was a free choice in this nation. They didn’t specify whether that religion was Christian, Jewish or Muslim . Nor did they write a word about those citizens who followed no religion at all.
It mystifies me as to why this church state issue is still being debated some 500 years later. Our founding fathers made it clear “You can believe what you wish; and worship how you wish; and live your life as you wish." But you cannot impose your beliefs and religious observances on others. Jesus would make it quite clear too. If a state, like this one, mandates the freedom of worship, then we should separate our civic responsibilities from our religious lives.
I admire people of faith. Even those who are Orthodox and acknowledge with certainty that they know what God or Jesus wants. I actually envy them their blind acceptance of the truth on the basis of faith alone. I just wish that they would leave other people to believe or not believe alone. I realize the evangelical Christians who make up the “religious right” have a mandate from their Lord to spread the “goods news”. And they are free to do so. They are free to write books and pamphlets, produce television shows and movies and even knock on doors to proselytize. But they are not free to pass laws that prohibit gay people from marrying. Or to deny women a choice to do what they believe is right with their own bodies when they are pregnant. Nor are they free to force the student community in a public school to set aside time from their learning experience to pray as a group. And most of all, they are not free to discriminate against people who think differently, dress differently and pray differently than they do. That is fascism not democracy.
JVP
“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”. According to the evangelist Matthew, Jesus spoke those words in response to a question from the Jews as to whether they have to pay taxes to Caesar Augustus. It was one of those hostile questions that were meant to entrap Jesus into coming out publicly against the Roman authority. Jesus wisely made it clear that his kingdom was not of this world and that while on this earth God’s people should make a distinction between what the state requires and what God wants. You don’t have to read any more of the bible to look for what Jesus felt about the issue of the “separation of church and state”
The religious communities that migrated to this country after its discovery left Europe to escape the religious tyranny of state mandated religions. They wanted to be free to worship as they wished without government interference. Our brilliant and brave founding fathers created a new kind of government that stressed “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Some of them were members of the various Protestant sects but most were Deists. These were men that did not necessarily believe in the divinity of Christ or in the existence of a Providential God. Some, like George Washington, were barely religious at all. But they all agreed on one thing—The First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
They all concurred to a man that the practice of religion was a free choice in this nation. They didn’t specify whether that religion was Christian, Jewish or Muslim . Nor did they write a word about those citizens who followed no religion at all.
It mystifies me as to why this church state issue is still being debated some 500 years later. Our founding fathers made it clear “You can believe what you wish; and worship how you wish; and live your life as you wish." But you cannot impose your beliefs and religious observances on others. Jesus would make it quite clear too. If a state, like this one, mandates the freedom of worship, then we should separate our civic responsibilities from our religious lives.
I admire people of faith. Even those who are Orthodox and acknowledge with certainty that they know what God or Jesus wants. I actually envy them their blind acceptance of the truth on the basis of faith alone. I just wish that they would leave other people to believe or not believe alone. I realize the evangelical Christians who make up the “religious right” have a mandate from their Lord to spread the “goods news”. And they are free to do so. They are free to write books and pamphlets, produce television shows and movies and even knock on doors to proselytize. But they are not free to pass laws that prohibit gay people from marrying. Or to deny women a choice to do what they believe is right with their own bodies when they are pregnant. Nor are they free to force the student community in a public school to set aside time from their learning experience to pray as a group. And most of all, they are not free to discriminate against people who think differently, dress differently and pray differently than they do. That is fascism not democracy.
JVP
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